Siphon dredging pump



April 13, 1937. T. NEWELL. ,2,976,823

' I VSIPI-ION DREDGING PUMP Filed Nov. 25, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEY' Patented Apr. 13, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIQE.

3 Claims.

'Ihe purpose of this invention is to provide simple and eflicient apparatus without mechanically moving parts, for raising material, `such as sand, dirt, the rare metals and the like from 5 river beds, submerged vessels, or the like, or any place where submerged pumping is necessary, by vacuum action.

The invention is a fluid operated elevator in which fluids are forced downward to a submerged V point and discharged in such a manner that a uid of a lighter weight is distributed through a conned column of a liquid or any fluid of a heavier weight, and the fluids buoy or convey particles, such as ne gold, or other of the rare metals, sand, dirt, and the like, upward to suitable recovering means.

Many types of dredges and other apparatus have been provided for endeavoring to recover the materials from river beds or the like, and

whereas these have been successful to a certain degree the amount of material recovered hardly compensates for the heavy cost of the machinery and also of the operation thereof.

The object of this invention is, therefore, to

,25 provide apparatus, Vhaving no moving parts,

which may be lowered upon the bed of a river, or

, `into the hold of a submerged vessel, or the like, and which will function to raise material as iluids are forced therethrough.

Another object is to provide a hydraulic elevator which may be used upon beds of rivers, or the like, which provides a conned air and water column for raising objects therefrom, by dis placement of water therein with air.

Another object is toy provide a cylinder open at the lower end with an air chamber around the lower end having openings communicating with the cylinder, that may be submerged in a body of water, means providing a continuous air supply to said chamber, and means injecting water into said cylinder.

Another object is to provide a cylinder adapted to be submerged in a body of water in which means is provided for supplying air thereto through small apertures and other means is provided for injecting water under pressure upward in said cylinder.

A further object is to provide means adapted to be positioned at the lower end of a pipe sub- 5,0 merged in a body of water into which fine particles of gold, sand, dirt or the like may be drawn upward by a column of water rushing upward therethrough. T

And a still further object is to provide appara- ,5,5 tus for elevating material from river beds,l subvit will force all of the substances therein toward merged vessels, or the like, in which there are no moving parts, and which is of a simple and economical construction.

With these ends in view the invention embodies a vertical cylinder adapted to have the lower end 5 submerged in a body of water, apertures in the wall of the cylinder communicating with an air chamber around the lower end thereof, av pipe for supplying air under pressure to the air chamber, and means for supplying water under pres- `^10 sure to said cylinder above the air chamber, and also to an area below the lower end of the cylinder.

The cylinder forms a force pump, the action of which is a rapid upward velocity of everything contained therein and this is stimulated by dis- 15 placement of water by air by discharging air through apertures so that the air will expand and the expansion of the air, which is further expedited by the differential between the pressure of the air and the pressure of the surrounding "20 water, causes a rapid churning which accelerates the velocity and as the `movement is Very rapid, it conveys all ine particles and even rocks and gravel upward through a column of water conned in the cylinder. pressure slightly above the hydraulic head pressure and the openings through which it is injected are comparatively small so that the air that displaces the water is in the form of small bubbles, and the smaller the bubbles, the closer they con- 30 gregate, and the more water they displace. The water is forced downward at from two to five hundred pounds pressure and as this is discharged into the cylinder above the air chamber, t. ,35

the center and also tend to accelerate the'velocity of the resulting upward action therein.

The water may also be discharged at a suitable angle below the surface so that it may stir up or agitate the river bed below the lower open end of the cylinder and as the sand or gravel is agitated it will be drawn upward by the action in the cylinder, or Siphon pump, as it may be termed.

Other features and advantages of the invention 45 will appear from the following description taken in connection with the drawings, in which Figures 1 to 10 show an embodiment of the invention in outline, whereas Figures 1l to 14 show details of construction showing a completed device.

Figure 1 is a View showing a cross section through the cylinder of a typical design showing spiral pipes therein through which the air may be discharged.

Figure 2 is a view showing an alternate design 55 The air is supplied at 25 v in which the air is discharged through a comparatively thin at chamber.

Figure 3 is a cross section through the device shown in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a cross section through the upper part of the cylinder shown in Figure 1 showing a typical discharge chamber.

Figure 5 is a view looking upward toward the lower end of the suction pipe showing a typical arrangement of the spiral pipes therein.

Figure 6 is a detail showing an arrangement of the upper water discharge chamber and air chamber, in the design shown in Figures l and 3,

Figure '7 is a cross section through the cylinder in Figures 2 and 3. f

Figure 8 is a detail showing a method of forming the openings in one of the sides of the air chamber.

Figure 9 is a cross section through the air discharge chamber.

Figure 10 is a view showing an alternate design in which the air and water supply pipesv pass downward inside of the cylinder at the lower end thereof.

Figure 1l is a view showing a cross section through the device as it will be made with parts broken away and parts shown in elevation.

Figure 12 is a view showing the outside of the device shown in Figure 11 and also showing an alternate arrangement in which injection nozzles similar to the nozzles shown in Figures 1 and 3 are used on the lower end thereof.

Figure 13 is a detail showing one of the members forming the cylindrical Wall of the mixing chamber in the lower part of the device.

Figure 14 is across section on line I4-I4 of Figure 11.

In the drawings the device is shown as it may be made wherein numeral I indicates the cylinder of the arrangement shown in Figures 1 to 10, numeral 2 the air discharge chamber, and numeral 3 the water discharge chamber.

The cylinder I, in the design shown in Figures 1 to 10, is made of pipe and may be of any cliameter depending upon the material to be worked. This pipe may be continuous or may be made in sections and the air and water chambers may be provided in independent sections, as shownin Figure 6, or in a continuous section, as shown in Figures 1 to 3. In the design shown in Figure 1 the air is supplied through a pipe 4, and this is connected to the lower end of spiral pipes 5 and 6 through the wall of the cylinder I through openings 1 and 8 and the spiral pipes 5 and 6 are provided with very ne openings 9 through which the air is discharged into the interior of the cylinder I. It will be understood that the pipes 5 and 6 may be of any size, type, or design and may be arranged in any manner.

In the design shown in Figures 2 and 3 the lower end of the pipe 4 is connected to a rectangular shaped air chamber 2 which is formed with two fiat plates having very rlne perforations extending continuously throughout the area thereof and as the air is fed to the lower end of this chamber it will be discharged through the small openings and into the cylinder. This at air chamber 2 may also be twisted, as shown in Figure 10, or otherwise positioned to cause a spiral action in the head or pipe. It will be understood that this may be of any other typeV or design and may be arranged in any manner.

This chamber may be made, as shown in Figures 8 and 9, with side plates I0 which may be of steel or any material and these are lined with copper or brass plates II, as shown in Figure 8. Comparatively small openings I2 may be drilled in the plate I0 to such a depth that the points of the drill just penetrate the inner surface of the plate and then the liningl plates II are placed against the plates I0 and with these plates placed upon a block of wood a punch may be placed through the opening I2 so that it will barely penetrate the lining plate I I. It is thereby possible to provide extremely fine openings I3 in the lining plate, and these minute openings break the air up to such a degree that a churning action is obtained and the product is foamy. It will be understood, however, that these openings may be formed in any other manner and also that the air chamber may be formed in any manner or by any means. These plates may be'bolted together with gaskets between them, asshown in Figure 9, or may be assembled, held together, or arranged in any other manner,

Vand any other means may also be used for forming the sides or edges of this chamber. The lining plates may also be omitted and the openings formed only in the side plates. The pipe 4 may also be connected to the lower end of the chamber 2, as shown in Figure 7, or in any other manner.

The water is forced downward to the cylinder through a pipe i4 and this may be provided with a connection I 5 through which water may be supplied to the chamber 3 through a connecting pipe I6. When it is desired to agitate the river bed the lower end I'I of the pipe I4 is bent outward and then inward at an angle of approximately 45 so that it will discharge below the lower end of the cylinder I, as shown in Figure 1. The end of this pipe may be provided with a nozzle I S, as shown in Figure 3, however, it will be understood that the nozzle may be omitted, or the end of the pipe formed in any manner, or a nozzle of any other type or description may be used.

The water chamber 3 may be formed with a bevelled upper surface I9 which is provided with small periorations through which water will be discharged in an upward direction and the chamber is positioned in the cylinder so that the water will be discharged toward the center thereof thereby forcing materials therein toward the center and upward. It will be understood, however, that this chamber may be of any other type or design and may be arranged in any manner. In the design shown in Figure 6 the upper surface of this chamber is curved instead of iiat, as shown in Figures 1 and 3, and it will be understood that this surface may be iiat or curved or of any shape.

In actual construction the device is made as shown in Figures 1l to 14 in which the lower end of a pipe 20 similar to the pipe I, is provided with a flange 2| which is attached to a flange 22 on the upper end of a nipple 23 by bolts 24 and the lower end of the nipple 23 is also provided with a flange 25 which is attached to a ange 26 on a shell 21 by bolts 28. These parts form air and water chambers around a central column and are arranged so that the air and water are injected into the column with the air injected in the form of minute bubbles reducing the weight of the water in the column and the water injected in an upward direction tending to form jets which assist in forcing the water column upward.

The water column which is indicated by the numeral 29 is formed in the center of the pipe 20 and extends downward through a similar pipe section 36 in the nipple 23 and also downward Vat the point 34 thereby providing a continuous column extending straight upward in the device.

The construction of this device, as `shown in Figure 11, is made with a disc 35 in the lower end of the shell 2l and the opening 34 is formed in the member 35 and positioned at one side of the center thereof. Member 35 is provided with a recess 36 around the opening 34 and the lower member 31 of the cylinder 3i rests in this recess with a plurality of similar members or rings resting thereon and these rings are provided with relatively small upwardly inclined openings so that air passing therethrough from asurrounding air chamber 38 will be directed upwardly. The chamber 38 is comparatively sealed and this chamber may be supplied with air under pressure through pipe connection 38 which may extend to any means for supplying air under pressure. The individual members or rings 32 of the member 3l are preferably made as shown in Figure 13 with the upper surfaces 4Q inclined upward and with their lower surfaces '4I similarly shaped so that one ring may readily be placed upon the other and it is preferred to use thin spacers between the rings or the upper surfaces of the rings may be provided with ribs 42 as shown in Figure 11. It will be understood however that any means may be used for providing a slight air space between these rings. The upper ring which is indicated by the numeral 43 is made with a fiat portion 44 at the upper end thereof which rests against the lower surface of the fiange 25. l This device may therefore be installed in the shell 2l' and permanently held between the flange 26 and the member 35 and the lower surface of the member 35 may be provided with openings 45 by which it may be rotated as it is screwed into the threads 46 at the lower end of the shell 2l.

The water column is positioned toward one side of the center as hereinbefore described and as shown in Figure i4, and at one side of this column is a small water pipe 46 the outer surface of which is threaded and the lower end of which is threaded into the flange 25 as shown at the point 4l. This pipe extends upward through the nipple 23 and through the flanges 2l and 22 and the upper part is provided with lock nuts 4i) and 4Q which seal the opening through which the pipe passes. This pipe may be provided with an opening 59 in the side thereof as shown in Figure 1l, however it will be understood that as many openings as may be desired may be provided between the pipe and the chamber l formed on the inside of the nipple 23. The pipe 30 is threaded in the flange 25 and extends upward to a point a short distance from the flange 22. The upper end is beveled to correspond with the lower end of a section extending downward from the flange,

and an opening 52 between the sections of pipe maybe adjusted by screwing the section 35 in the ange 25. The opening 52 provides communicating means between the chamber 5I and the interior of the water column and with water supplied to the pipe 45 it will pass through the opening 5@ into the chamber 5l and through the opening 52, and as it is under pressure it will have a tendency to move the water column upward.

Below the pipe 46 is another pipe 53 the lower end of which is threaded into a threaded opening 54 in the member 35 and a plug 55 may be provided below the lower end thereof. This plug may be removed and jets 5B as shown in Figure l2 may be inserted therein so that when desired the water under pressure will be forced downward and through' the jets 56 so that it will agitate the sand or the like on the river bed and it will therefore pass upward through thewatercolumn more readily. It will be understood that one or any number of the jets 56 maybe used and 'these` may be located at any point or points.

It will be understood that other changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. One of which changes may be in the use of this method of elevating, raising or pumping in combination with a casing or device of any other nature or description, another may be in the use of other means for conveying water and air under pressure to the cylinder, another may be in the use of other means for attaching the water and air pipes to the cylinder or pipe extending therefrom, and still another may be in the use of a device of this type for any other purpose.

The construction will be readily understood from the foregoing description. In use the device may be provided as shown and described and it will be noted that the cylinder I may be attached to the lower end of a pipe which may extend upward through a body of water and any means may be provided at the upper end for receiving the discharge therefrom. The pipes 4 and I4 may be connected to any suitable pumps on the shore, or on a boat or barge, or any means may be provided for supplying air and water under pressure.

The cylinder l may be lowered in a body of water until it arrives at a position slightly above the bed thereof, where it will ll with a column of water, and as air is provided under pressure, it will be discharged into the lower end of the Water column and as it is discharged into the water, the displacement of the water thereby and the expansion thereof will raise all materials therein. The water may then be supplied through small openings above the air openings and as this is discharged under pressure it will form jets andcooperate with the buoyancy of the air in the water and further urge the water and everything therein upward.

When it is desired to agitate the sand, dirt or other material under the device, the nozzles may be used and when the water is forced through them, it will agitate the material and as the material is agitated, it will be drawn upward by the action in the head and thereby conveyed above the surface of the water. The device, therefore, forms a complete elevator to force, raise, or convey material upward from a river bed, submerged vessel, or the like, and at the same time has no working, moving, or operating parts with the exception of the fluids passing therethrough.

Having thus fully described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A dredging apparatus of the type comprising a vertical pipe of relatively large diameter with injecting means at the. lower end in which the injecting means dees not. obstruct the interior area, providing an unobstructed passage substantially of the same areaas the inside of the pipe, characterized by a plurality of rings with upwardly inclined complementary surfaces spaced slightly apart, a chamber surrounding said rings; an air connection to said chamber, a circumferential slot also having upwardly inclined complementary surfaces positioned above said rings, and positioned in the wall of said pipe, a water chamber surrounding said pipe and communicating with said slot and water supply means connected to said water chamber.

2. Dredging apparatus as described in claim 1 further characterized in that the air and Water chambers are formed in a surrounding casing in which the pipe and rings are eccentrically positioned, and a Water pipe also extending through said chambers to the lower end of the chamber surrounding said rings and having a nozzle connection in the lower end thereof.

3. Dredging apparatus as described in claim 1 further characterized in that a relatively large number of rings are used providing an extended surface through which air is upwardly injected into the inner circular passage from the periphery thereof.

TIMOTHY NEWELL. 

